Today's Liberal News

What the Iraq War Foretold About How the Iran War Will End

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Last week, Democrats dominated elections as Donald Trump, a lame-duck Republican, waged an unpopular war in Iran that he started and that a majority of Americans want to end. Notice the parallels to 20 years ago: In 2006, Democrats dominated the midterms as George W.

The Jensen Huang Scandal Should Change Everything

Jensen Huang’s abrupt departure from Nvidia, following revelations of an affair with a woman, Alice Huang, whom U.S. intelligence officials believe to be a Chinese-intelligence asset, should force a fundamental rethinking of America’s AI strategy.
Jensen Huang was not just the CEO of the world’s most important semiconductor company. He was also one of Donald Trump’s closest and most influential advisers on AI.

An Offbeat Director Worth Your Time

Sign up for Video Village, a new weekly newsletter in which David Sims unearths cinematic gems and brings readers into his movie obsession.
This week marks the limited-theater release of Paper Tiger, a muted, tragic crime thriller that’s the latest film in the director James Gray’s heady oeuvre.

Investigating Michel Houellebecq Is a Dangerous Mistake

An assault on free speech is unfolding in France. On Tuesday, a judge placed Michel Houellebecq, one of the country’s most significant living writers, under investigation for his alleged “complicity in incitement to discrimination, hatred or violence,” an accusation that stems from comments he made about Muslims several years ago. Houellebecq’s remarks were controversial and insensitive, but defending his freedom to speak does not require finding his words unobjectionable.

Why Black Voters Abandoned Trump

Early in 2024, Donald Trump took the stage at the Black Conservative Federation gala in South Carolina. “We love you!” one audience member yelled. “We love you,” Trump responded, adding, “We’ve energized the Republican Party, and we’ve expanded the Republican Party.” At the time, he was right: The share of Black voters supporting Trump had ticked up in 2020 and seemed to be growing.

From Ranked-Choice Voting to Dumping Electoral College: Rob Richie on Election Reform Movement

Alaska is the only Senate race yet to be called. Democratic challenger Mary Peltola is narrowly leading Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan with about 86% of votes counted. Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, a system where voters choose not only their top candidate, but can also indicate an order of preference for remaining candidates on the ballot. If no candidate wins a majority as the top choice, then second-choice votes are added to the totals and so on until there is a winner.

“Don’t F#*k It Up, Democrats”: David Sirota on Direction of Party & Fight Over Jeffries & Schumer

With Democrats set to take control of both chambers of Congress in January, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders says he will not support Chuck Schumer for another term as the Democratic Senate leader, calling for the party to move in “a new and bold direction.” Michigan Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin has said she will not support Schumer unless he presents a plan to govern differently, and several senators-elect have called for new leadership or declined to endorse Schumer.

Relatives of Slain Freedom Summer Activists Celebrate Scott Colom’s Historic Senate Win in Mississippi

Democrat Scott Colom has defeated incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith to become Mississippi’s first African American senator since the post-Civil War Reconstruction era. The electoral breakthrough is particularly meaningful given Mississippi’s history in the civil rights movement. In 1964, three civil rights activists — James Chaney, Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman — were murdered by the Ku Klux Klan after traveling to the state to register Black voters.

Scott Colom Wins Stunning Victory, Becomes Mississippi’s First Black Senator Since Reconstruction

Democrat Scott Colom has made history as Mississippi’s first Democratic senator since 1982 — and its first African American senator since the post-Civil War Reconstruction era. Colom narrowly defeated Republican incumbent Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in a state that President Trump won by nearly 23 points in 2024. Colom’s victory brings the incoming Senate Democratic caucus to 55.